Before you visit any backyard cookout, family potluck, or picnic in the park this summer you need to know how to make potato salad. It's easy to see why the dish is such a crowd-pleaser: it's simple to make ahead, it travels well, and tastes great with barbecue. But forget about that gloppy mayo-drenched kind you can buy in a tub—potato salad is just so much better when you make it from scratch. And you don't even need a recipe. Just follow these simple steps to master your own version of America's favorite summer side. Here's how to make potato salad:

1. Boil Some Spuds

Generally speaking, you want somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 pound of potatoes per person. When I'm making potato salad for six people, I reach for 2 pounds of potatoes; for eight, I use 3 pounds. But if that feels too complicated, just follow the rule of 1/2 pound potatoes per person—leftover potato salad is never a bad thing. Use any kind of potato you want, but stick with one kind of potato per batch of salad. Peel them if you prefer—you don't have to—and cut them into even bite-size pieces. Russet (or Idaho) potatoes are fluffier and more flavor-absorbent, while new potatoes are denser and firmer with a stronger flavor of their own. Yukon golds are somewhere in the middle of both extremes. I like using baby or fingerling potatoes for their fun shapes, not to mention the fact that if they're small enough you don't even have to cut them, let alone peel them.

To cook potatoes, always start them in cold water. If you toss potatoes into hot water the outsides will overcook and the insides will undercook, and it'll be a textural mess. So have a pot of cold water next to you as you peel (or don't) and slice your potatoes, and put them directly into that water as you go, which will prevent the potatoes from oxidizing. Add a generous sprinkling of salt and a splash of vinegar to the water to season as well as help keep the potatoes from overcooking, and then bring it to a boil over medium heat. Turn it down to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are fork-tender, 15 minutes to half an hour depending on the size and type of your potatoes.

How to make potato salad with new potatoes and bacon dressing.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

2. Make Your Dressing

While the potatoes cook, you have plenty of time to tinker with a dressing for them. Here's the most important thing to note: Potato salads do not have to be dressed with mayonnaise. But they can be, if you want. Or if you hate mayo, but want a creamy dressing, try using sour cream or yogurt instead.

Making dressing for potato salad doesn't need to be any different from making dressing for a salad. You start with a mix of oil and acid, then add something creamy if you want, then season and spice it up to taste. I love a mix of olive oil, pickle juice, Dijon, and mayonnaise—the pickle juice takes care of the acid as well as the seasoning all in one. Or sometimes I cook sliced bacon to add to the potato salad and then use the hot bacon fat as the base of a dressing whisked with grainy mustard and apple cider vinegar and balanced with a little honey and black pepper. Olive oil, lemon juice, and just a touch of mustard whisked with finely chopped shallots and a pinch of red pepper flakes is especially nice on fingerling potatoes.

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Taste your dressing, add more salt or spices if desired, and you're ready to go. Make more dressing than you think you'll need—if you don't use all of it on the potato salad you'll use it for another salad soon enough.

3. Dress Those Taters While They're Still Warm

Once your dressing is ready and the potatoes are cooked, drain the potatoes and toss them in dressing until they're fully coated. The hot potatoes will absorb more of the dressing than they would if they were cold. Let the dish chill if you want to serve it cool or at room temperature, or go ahead and serve it hot. If you're serving it cold, wait for it to chill before you taste and adjust the seasoning and add the extras (see below). But if you're serving it warm, go ahead and taste it and add more salt or acid or dressing as needed.

Fresh chives and crunchy bacon are great additions to a new potato salad with a bacon-fat dressing.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell

4. Toss in Some Extras

Before serving, you can stir in a handful of fresh herbs: parsley or dill or chives are great in almost any potato salad. I always like to add something crunchy too: sliced celery for freshness and crunch is classic, but cucumbers or fennel are great too, or diced pickles for an even tangier bite. For an allium zing and subtle texture, add shallots or diced onion. Or add slivered almonds. Or go for the ultimate salty crunch with chopped pieces of crispy bacon. Add a little briny zip to your salad with olives or capers. Or add a bit of sweetness with sautéed leeks or sun-dried tomatoes. Some people like to stir in chopped hard-boiled eggs or pieces of chicken, but then your potato salad starts becoming more of a hybrid egg or chicken salad and less of a classic side dish—which is totally fine—but I like to keep it all about the potatoes.